Search Results For : Guatemala

210513 Route from Lake Atitlan to Bay Islands
MAY 2021: OVERVIEW: I stayed in San Pedro La Laguna (SPLL), Lake Atitlan, Guatemala for 4 months during COVID-19. Generally speaking, SPLL is pretty safe with bars and restaurants closing at 9pm. Alas, only about 50% of people there wear masks… and we had a COVID outbreak that came out of one of the young, party bars near the main Boat Dock. This resulted in the town being closed down for 2 weeks followed by bars closing at 6pm for a further 2 weeks. It was time to move on to Roatan Island, Honduras. I decided to take on the […]

Lake Atitlan (Guatemala) to Bay Islands (Honduras) – Journey (COVID-19)

MARCH 2019: Read our Retirement Reviews to find good places to retire on a budget. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: At the time of writing, US$1 = GTQ7.50 and US$1 = HNL25. I spent 1 month in San Pedro La Laguna, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. I stayed in a 5 bedroom house with friends and paid GTQ1,500 for the month (US$200). I had my own Double Room and shared the rest of the house which included a Hot Tub, Balcony with lake view, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry. THE CA4 COUNTRIES: I entered Guatemala from Mexico and I got my standard (free) 90 […]

San Pedro LL / Panajachel / Lake Atitlan, Guatemala – to – Bay Islands, Honduras

OCTOBER 2017: Read our Retirement Reviews to find good places to retire on a budget. BACKDROP: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua are known as the CA4 (Central American 4) countries. In June 2017, I left Palenque (Mexico) and cut across northern Guatemala to the Honduran Bay Islands. I stayed nearly 3 months in Utila and Roatan before needing to get out of the CA-4 (again) to renew my visa. I bought a Shuttle / Boat Ticket from Roatan to Punta Gorda, Belize. As I describe in my Roatan to San Pedro post, I ‘struck lucky’ at the Honduras-Guatemala border […]

San Pedro LL – Guatemala – To – Santa Ana – El Salvador

SEPTEMBER 2017: Click here to read our Guatemala Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua are known as the CA4 (Central American 4) countries. They have agreed to share a single Tourist Visa of up to 90 days. As you cross the borders within these CA4 countries you do not get a new 90 day visa … instead, they deduct how many days you have been in other CA4 countries from those 90 days and give you the remainder. This means that you have to do a Visa Run out of the CA4 every 90 days. ENTERING THE CA4: I started […]

Roatan – Honduras – Visa Run – To – San Pedro LL – Guatemala

MAY 2017: Click here to read our Guatemala Retirement Reviews. Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I started in San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala and made my way to Antigua, Guatemala. From Antigua, I caught a ‘direct’ shuttle to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. Read this post for a detailed break-down of costs in San Pedro LL. Read this post for a detailed break-down of costs in Antigua. SAN PEDRO LA LAGUNA: I stayed in San Pedro La Laguna for nearly 2 months in March / April. I, then, spent 6 weeks in Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico. On my return to San Pedro in late […]

Antigua – Guatemala – to – San Cristobal de las Casas – Mexico

APRIL 2017: Click here to read our Guatemala Retirement Reviews. Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I stayed in Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico for 6 weeks … I initially planned to stay only 3 weeks … but, it was such a nice ‘vibe’ that I decided to stay longer. Read this post for a detailed break-down of costs in Zipolite. In Zipolite, I stayed at the Brisa Marina; this hotel is not listed in BOOKING.COM nor AGODA.COM. I paid MXP150 / night (US$8.25) for a Double Room with Cold Water Private Bathroom (no Breakfast included). This was a very good price … many locals told me that I was […]

Tapachula – Mexico – to – Lake Atitlan – Guatemala

MARCH 2017: Click here to read our Guatemala Retirement Reviews. Click here to read our Mexico Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I stayed in San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan for nearly 2 months … I went for 3 weeks to do Spanish Classes … but, it was such a nice ‘vibe’ that it was very hard to leave! I made many good friends there. Thanks guys … hopefully, I will see you all again soon. Read this post for a detailed break-down of costs in San Pedro LL. In San Pedro LL, I ended up staying at the Hotel Jarachi’k. I paid GTQ100 / night (US$13.50). For […]

Lake Atitlan – Guatemala – to – Zipolite – Mexico

JANUARY 2017: OVERVIEW: My costs start in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan and include: A lancha (boat) from Panajachel to San Pedro 38 nights in GRANDPAcking Standard accommodation Food & Drink Mobile Data / Communications 21 Days of Spanish Classes CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about San Pedro. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS: Cost Of Existence (COE): My costs are purely provided for information purposes. I do not always follow ‘GRANDPAcking Standards’. […]

San Pedro LL – Guatemala – GRANDPAcking Costs

JANUARY 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: It is recommended that, if you plan to live in or travel in Central America for any length of time, you should try and learn some Spanish. I had already done Spanish Immersion Classes in Tlaquepaque, Mexico. I did nine 1-on-1 classes (of 4 hours each). I started from zero but it was enough for me to survive the first few months in Mexico. But, I had one big problem: I could get them to understand me but, when they spoke back to me, I didn’t understand a word that they were […]

San Pedro – Guatemala – Information & Spanish Classes

JANUARY 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Monterrico to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan via a stop-over in Antigua. In Monterrico, I stayed in a BELOW GRANDPAcking Standard hotel: the Hotel El Delfin. The room had a Private Bathroom but it was very basic. I stayed 8 nights and paid an average of GTQ100 / night. They provided free water all day and free coffee in the mornings. It was time to move on to Lake Atitlan … MONTERRICO TO ANTIGUA: Adventurous people can catch a combination of a ferry and local ‘Chicken Buses’ and get from Monterrico to […]

Panajachel – Lake Atitlan – Guatemala – Information